Suzette Martinez Valladares | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Official portrait, 2024 | |
| Member of theCalifornia State Senate from the23rd district | |
| Assumed office December 2, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Scott Wilk (redistricting) |
| Member of theCalifornia State Assembly from the38th district | |
| In office December 7, 2020 – November 30, 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Christy Smith |
| Succeeded by | Steve Bennett |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Suzette Martinez (1980-12-21)December 21, 1980 (age 45) Sylmar, California, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | Shane Valladares |
| Children | 1 |
| Education | College of the Canyons (AA) California State University, Northridge (BA) |
Suzette Martinez Valladares (born December 21, 1980)[1] is an American politician who is a member of theCalifornia State Senate since 2024, representing the23rd district. A member of theRepublican Party, she previously served as a member of theCalifornia State Assembly from the 38th district, which included theSanta Clarita Valley andSimi Valley. Elected in 2020, she assumed office on December 7, 2020. In 2022, she ran in the newly redrawn40th Assembly district, and narrowly lostthe election toPilar Schiavo by a 50.2% to 49.8% margin.
Valladares was born inSylmar, Los Angeles and graduated fromSylmar High School in 1999. A third-generation Californian, her grandfather was a farmworker who worked alongsideCesar Chavez in vineyards near Bakersfield.[2] She earned anassociate degree from theCollege of the Canyons and a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science fromCalifornia State University, Northridge.[3]
From 2009 to 2012, Valladares was a district representative forCongressmanBuck McKeon. In 2014, she was a candidate for the 36th district in theCalifornia State Assembly. In 2014 and 2015, she worked as the California Director of Hispanic Initiatives for theRepublican National Committee. From 2015 to 2018, she was the executive director of Southern California Autism Speaks. In 2018, she was a candidate forCalifornia's 25th congressional district before withdrawing from the race to run for state assembly.[4]
In 2020, Valladares became one of two Republican nominees for the 38th district in theCalifornia State Assembly after incumbent DemocratChristy Smith announced that she would not seek re-election and instead focus on her run for theUnited States House of Representatives againstMike Garcia. Valladares placed first in thenonpartisan blanket primary and defeated fellow Republican Lucie Lapointe Volotzky, a furniture store owner, in the November general election.[5][6]
In 2021, Valladares became one of the inaugural members of the California State Legislature's "Problem Solvers Caucus," a bipartisan group consisting of members of both the State Assembly and State Senate.[7] The Problem Solvers Caucus says that their goal is to "create a group of legislators committed more to progress than to ideology."[8]
Valladares and her husband, Shane, have one daughter and live inSanta Clarita, California.[9]
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Republican | Suzette Martinez Valladares | 39,481 | 31.8 | |
| Republican | Lucie Lapointe Volotzky | 21,942 | 17.6 | |
| Democratic | Annie E. Cho | 15,498 | 12.5 | |
| Democratic | Kelvin Driscoll | 14,868 | 12.0 | |
| Democratic | Brandii Grace | 14,387 | 11.6 | |
| Democratic | Dina Cervantes | 10,900 | 8.8 | |
| Democratic | Susan M. Christopher | 7,255 | 5.8 | |
| Total votes | 124,331 | 100.0 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Republican | Suzette Martinez Valladares | 149,201 | 76.1 | |
| Republican | Lucie Lapointe Volotzky | 46,877 | 23.9 | |
| Total votes | 196,078 | 100.0 | ||
| Republicangain fromDemocratic | ||||
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Republican | Suzette Martinez Valladares (incumbent) | 48,096 | 47.4 | |
| Democratic | Pilar Schiavo | 34,415 | 33.9 | |
| Democratic | Annie E. Cho | 18,891 | 18.6 | |
| Total votes | 101,402 | 100.0 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Pilar Schiavo | 79,852 | 50.2 | |
| Republican | Suzette Martinez Valladares (incumbent) | 79,330 | 49.8 | |
| Total votes | 159,182 | 100.0 | ||
| Democraticgain fromRepublican | ||||
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Republican | Suzette Martinez Valladares | 50,937 | 32.8 | |
| Democratic | Kipp Mueller | 45,754 | 29.4 | |
| Republican | James "DJ" Hamburger | 37,075 | 23.8 | |
| Democratic | Blanca Azucena Gomez | 14,257 | 9.2 | |
| Democratic | Ollie M. McCaulley | 7,439 | 4.8 | |
| Total votes | 155,462 | 100.0 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Republican | Suzette Martinez Valladares | 190,957 | 52.4 | |
| Democratic | Kipp Mueller | 173,695 | 47.6 | |
| Total votes | 364,652 | 100.0 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
Members of theCalifornia State Senate | ||
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2025–26 Session
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